Take Me on the Floor
by BooksAreLove
Summary: Simon and Maia have developed a special bond from their experience on Valentine's ship. Will things develop beyond friendship as they spend more time together?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** I thought it would be fun to see what would happen between Simon and Maia after their time on the ship. I had a lot of fun writing this and getting to know the characters. I'm really looking forward to seeing what will be in the coming chapters. Thanks to my lovely Marcy Jo for running beta and my Ande for all her love and encouragement! Read, enjoy, and review!

**Disclaimer:** I am not the lovely Cassandra Clare and do not own these awesome characters, I just invited them to play.

Chapter One

Simon grunted as he lifted one of the many boxes of books in Luke's store. He carried it to the front where Maia was working and dropped it on the floor. Maia looked up and smiled as he turned to get another box. Simon returned her smile, but Maia could see that it did not reach his eyes. She felt a twinge of sadness. Simon's smile had always been one of her favorites of his features. It was what made him more human than the rest, even after he was turned.

As Simon walked through the house to retrieve another box of books, he glanced into the living room and saw Clary sitting in the armchair, staring out the window. He paused in to doorway and watched her for a moment. Breaking off the romantic part of their relationship had been one of the hardest things Simon had ever done. Sure, it had been an extremely brief relationship, but he loved Clary with his whole heart. Letting her go like that had been heartbreaking, but losing her completely would have been infinitely harder. Simon didn't want to risk losing her completely. He could, and _would_, continue to be her support, a rock to lean on and a soft place to fall. That didn't make the knife twisting in his gut hurt any less, though. Simon sighed quietly and walked to the back to sort more boxes.

After staring at the stacks of boxed for a full minute, Simon kicked the one nearest to him. He tried to us restraint, but even the lightest vampire kick would have sent that box across the room. It crashed into another box, which unfortunately was the base of a rather large stack of books. Simon cursed as he ran and attempted to stop the avalanche of books. In his haste, Simon tripped on an extension cord, effectively making him part of the cascade. He rolled his eyes and lay on the floor for a few moments, appreciating the disaster that now surrounded him. He would have stayed there longer were it not for the muffled giggle that came from the doorway.

Surprised, Simon jumped up, which sent the books flying around the room, spreading the disaster. Maia managed to catch a particularly large paperback before it hit her in the face. She burst into peals of laughter as Simon looked sheepishly at the mess he had created.

"Oops," he said as he scratched the back of his head and gave Maia a half-hearted smile.

"Why don't I pick these up and you take a break," Maia offered. "You look like you could use some fresh air."

Simon nodded and went out the back door, careful not to slam it and break the glass. He walked out to the middle of the yard and lay down on the grass. For a while, he focused on the clouds, trying to find shapes in them like he and Clary used to do. The memory caused such a pang in his gut that Simon physically grabbed his stomach, willing the ache to go away. Why couldn't things have stayed the way they were before that night at the club, before Jocelyn was attacked, before Jace and the other Shadowhunters? Simon was a firm believer that in some situations, ignorance is bliss. He missed his life and his Clary

Simon rubbed his hands over his face, and then lazily stretched his arms above his head. He stayed on the grass for quite some time, enjoying the feel of the sun on his skin. He was unsure how long the whole "vampire in the sun" thing would last and wanted to spend as much time as possible outside. With his eyes closed, Simon was unable to keep the images of Clary away. He knew that really nothing in their relationship had changed; in their friendship at least. But Clary was dealing with something that he could not touch. Something had changed the afternoon she went to see Jace. It was like something inside of her got bent or broken and, hard as he tried, Simon could not get in to see what it was. He had tried several times to get her to tell him what happened, but she had completely locked down. Simon knew her well enough to realize when to stop pushing. She would talk to him when she was ready. It was the waiting that was the bitch.

Simon caught Maia's scent before he heard her come into the yard and lay next to him. He looked at her through squinty eyes and smiled. He was always glad to see Maia; sometimes he felt like they were the only two normal people in Chicago, which was ironic seeing as they both fell neatly under the description of "paranormal".

"What's up?" Simon asked casually.

Maia shrugged. "Nothing much, just wanted to make sure you weren't, you know, hanging yourself from the tree or anything. Not that it would do any good."

"Is it that obvious?" Simon went back to watching the clouds float by.

"Only to a careful observer such as myself," Maia replied. "And most of the people in the continental US."

"Great," Simon sighed. "Just what I need: another reason for my Mother to ask if something's wrong."

"Oh come on," Maia gave him a light push. "Lighten up. You don't look that bad. You don't even really look like the walking dead that you are."

Simon raised his eyebrows at Maia. "Not helping."

"Look, I think you just need to get out a little," Maia sat up and crossed her legs. "You need to get away from your Mom, and Luke, and yes, even Clary. Have some fun!"

Simon looked up at Maia, clearly unconvinced. "And what, pray tell, would you suggest I do?"

"Come out with me, tonight. We'll go to Pandemonium and get lost in the lights and music."Maia nodded as Simon looked at her, expressionless.

"Can I think about it?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope!"

"Didn't think so."

"It's five now," Maia looked at her watch as she stood to leave. "I'm going to finish in there, eat, then go home and get ready. Nine sound okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine," Simon smiled as he waved her away. Maia's enthusiasm was infectious; he couldn't help looking forward to spending the evening with her. They had bonded early over their mutual dislike of Jace, and their friendship had grown since Valentine had them locked together on the ship. Simon knew that he would not have made it through that situation without Maia. Every night since their time on the ship, his last moments with Maia and Valentine replayed in his dreams. He could not close his eyes without seeing Valentine's black eyes as he lowered the Mortal Sword to Simon's neck, feeling the cold metal pierce his skin, and hearing Maia's screams as she tried in vain to reach Simon. One of his final memories before losing consciousness was Maia's tearstained face as she lay sobbing on the floor, screaming his name, her hands covered in his blood as it flowed from him onto the metal floor. In the days following the events on the ship, Maia had stayed by Simon's side until he regained his full strength. He had come to appreciate Maia and look forward to spending any time with her, even just sorting books.

Simon spent the evening straightening up the books in the back, hoping to avoid any future cascades. He ate dinner with Clary and watched a bad horror movie. Clary declined Simon's offer to go with him and Maia to Pandemonium. Simon admitted to himself that it was probably for the best. He loved Clary, but she would have thrown a wet blanket on the evening. Plus, he was starting to think that maybe Maia had been right; getting out would be good for him. It would at least provide a distraction for the night.

Simon snagged a place in line while he waited for Maia to arrive. He looked around and felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb, as usual. In contrast to the leather, glitter, and mesh surrounding him, Simon was wearing jeans, black Etnies, and a black t-shirt with an apple wearing glasses on the front.

He glanced behind him to see how long the line had grown and his thoughts of gratitude for arriving early were interrupted when a girl clad in tight jeans, a black tank top, and black platform Mary Jane's came into his view. Simon was eyeing her appreciatively when he realized she was waving. At him. With a shock, Simon recognized her as _Maia_. Simon briefly wondered why he had never really noticed the creamy color of her skin, or the colored bands that held her braids.

"Hey party animal!" Maia bounced up to Simon and grabbed him in a surprisingly strong hug. Simon laughed as he caught her and was struck by her perfume. How had he missed that before?

Maia pulled Simon to the front of the line. She blew a kiss at the bouncer, who pulled the rope aside to let them in. Maia immediately started moving to the throbbing beat of the music while Simon hung back, staying on the outskirts of the crowd on the dance floor. He remembered the last time he was here, the night Clary saw Jace and both their lives went to hell. An overwhelming urge to leave hit Simon like a ton of bricks and he looked around, trying to find another exit. When he turned back to the dance floor, he saw Maia moving towards him.

She was slowly swaying her hips in time to the music. Simon's mouth hung open slightly as Maia moved closer. Every curve was amplified by her tight clothes; she looked incredibly sexy and moved like she knew it. Maia crooked her finger at Simon and raised her eyebrows. When Simon still didn't move, she walked up to him and grabbed his t-shirt with both hands, pulling him onto the floor.

They began moving separately at first, facing each other. As they danced, Simon inched closer to Maia with every move. Maia smiled coyly and raised her arms above her head as she danced. Simon placed his hands of Maia's hips and pulled her closer. He could feel the heat radiating from her and see the light sheen of sweat developing on her body. Maia wrapped her arms around Simon's neck and one of his hands moved to the small of her back. The friction of their bodies moving together increased the heat between them, both literally and figuratively. Maia turned so her back was pressed against Simon's front, then reached up and placed her right hand on the back of Simon's neck. His left hand remained on Maia's hip, while his right lightly caressed from her hip up her side and arm, ending at her hand on his neck. Simon felt her shiver under his hands and increased the pressure between them, drawing her closer.

_This_, Simon thought, _is most unexpected._


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: **Thank you so much for the reviews! Please keep them coming because it helps to know how you feel about the developing plot. Also, they make me feel warm and fuzzy. Special thanks to my girls for plotting and love!

**Disclaimer:** I am not the wonderful Cassandra Clare and do not own these characters. The Mortal Instruments genius is all hers.

This Is How It Feels

Simon groaned and shielded his eyes against the sun streaming in through his bedroom window. Peering through his fingers, he read the time on his digital alarm clock. Noon. As much as Simon loved the warmth of the sunlight, his vampire instincts still drove him to sleep during the day time.

"Shit!" Simon sat bolt upright when he remembered he should have been at Luke's two hours ago. Before running to the shower, he sent Clary a text explaining that he had over slept. He wasn't concerned about Luke being mad that Simon was late; it was more out of courtesy than anything else. A secret part of Simon hoped that Clary would be worried that he hadn't shown yet.

With the water turned up as hot as he could stand it, Simon stood beneath the spray, replaying the events of the previous night in his head. With his eyes closed, Simon remembered how Maia's body felt against his, her hips gyrating to the beat of the music. She had turned to face him, her arms hooked around his neck. The lights enhanced the honey color of her skin, which Simon knew would taste salty from the sweat. He had never been one to "bump and grind" on the dance floor, but that was the only way Simon could think to describe what had happened. The muscles in her back had rippled beneath his hands as their bodies moved in tandem. The memory of the pressure of her hips against him caused a hitch in his breath and a clench somewhere well below is stomach. Simon scrubbed his face and willed himself back to the present.

He'd danced with Maia until around midnight, when they left Pandemonium and walked to a nearby park. They talked in the park until around three in the morning, when he finally walked her home. Simon had never confided in anyone besides Clary until last night. But he and Maia had talked about everything from families and how they grew up to how they felt after they were turned, her into a werewolf and he to a vampire. Maia was able to empathize with Simon on a level that no one else could: the non-human level. His growing attraction to the girl was undeniable, and he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

Simon didn't know why he felt guilty. He knew logically why he shouldn't. For one thing, he was most definitely single. He and Clary were no longer an item. Clary was also in love with Jace; their kiss in the Seelie Court had been proof enough of that. He still felt a pang when he thought of the way her arms had wrapped around her brother, remembered the passion that had sparked between them. Simon had wished that Clary felt that passion for _him_, but was smart enough to know that things were best left with them being friends.

Perhaps the guilt came from confiding in someone besides Clary. Not just someone, really, but another girl. Simon had never imagined that there would be someone else he _could_ connect with on the level he had with Clary. Now that the situation was right in front of him, he didn't know what to do.

And now he had to face them both at Luke's.

_Let the games begin_, he thought as he opened Luke's front door.

Simon was immediately greeted by Clary's laughter and it was like music to his ears. He followed the sound to the living room, thinking she must be watching something on TV and fully intending to join her. It had been so long since he'd heard that laugh and he realized at that moment that he had missed it. He missed the old Clary, his best friend, and was ready to have her back.

The sound of a distinct male laugh stopped Simon in his tracks. She wasn't alone. His stomach felt like it was in his throat as he walked to the living room door as quietly as he could. Seated together on the couch, Jace and Clary were watching _The Family Guy_ reruns. All Simon could do was stare at them, watch them lean closer to each other when they laughed. Any feelings of guilt were replaced by slight bitterness for what was developing between his best friend and some wanna-be bad-ass who came out of nowhere. It was odd, though, that this sight didn't make him feel worse. Sure, there was a little sting of rejection, but he knew that he still had a special place in Clary's heart and life. Simon had known she would fall for someone; he had just always hoped it would be him.

As he leaned against the wall in Luke's hallway, Simon had the sudden realization that a whole world of opportunities had opened up for him. Coming to the realization that he and Clary were not meant for each other romantically had freed his heart to seek out another like it. God, that was such a cliché and he hated it, but it was true. He had always held back from other girls because he wanted to be available to Clary. Now that it wasn't an option, he could be available to someone else.

With a new bounce in his step, Simon headed to the back where he knew Maia would be unloading boxes. Maybe they could go for another walk later, or just hang out. She had been so easy to talk to, and now that his unnecessary guilt was gone, he was looking forward to more time alone with Maia.

When he reached the doorway Simon was once again stopped in his tracks. Bat was sitting on a box of books with Maia on his lap, her back to the door. Maia's face was inches from Bat's and Simon felt like he had interrupted something intimate even though neither had noticed his presence.

"Baby, I'm sorry," Bat said in a pleading tone, nuzzling Maia's neck. "I was stupid, that girl was a mistake. I want you back so bad."

"Bat, I…" Maia was cut off when Bat pressed his mouth to hers in what looked to Simon like an extremely passionate kiss.

_Can I not just get a break? One thing, is that too much to ask?_ Simon turned, walked back down the hallway and out the front without anyone even having noticed he had been there.

On his way home, Simon tried thinking of ways to distract himself and failed miserably. He had reached the apex of his frustration when his cell phone began to ring.

"What the fuh…" Simon muttered as he looked at the display. It was Raphael. Simon was not in the mood to deal with Raphael, so he stuffed the phone back into his pocket. He would probably come to regret that later, but right now he just wanted to get home.

Simon had been playing video games for about three hours when he heard the knock at the front door. He paused the game and listened to hear who his mother was talking to. Raphael. _Shit_. Maybe he should have answered that call after all. He turned the game back on with every intention of pretending like he had not heard the door or Raphael's voice. The pretense was really for his mother. Raph would know it was bullshit, but that didn't stop Simon from doing it.

"Simon, sweetheart?" His mother called up the stairs to him. "You have company…go on up," he heard her say to Raphael when Simon didn't respond. He took a deep breath and focused on his game with renewed attention and vigor.

"Simon, sweetheart," Raphael said as he walked into Simon's room. Simon paused only to flip Raph the bird. "Where were you today? I called a couple times."

"Oh, yeah, I've just been around," Simon shrugged. "I guess I missed the calls. Sorry."

Having quickly had enough of emo-Simon, Raph kicked the gaming chair he was sitting in, effectively spilling Simon onto the floor. As Simon righted himself, Raphael unplugged the game console from the television.

"What the hell?!" Simon yelled. "I was on level fucking fifteen! Do you realize how far back you just set me?"

"Do you realize how much I don't care?" Raphael countered. He stared Simon down for a full minute before moving to the desk chair and sitting down.

"What do you want?" Simon asked, defeated.

"You have to get out of here," Raphael began. "Look, I know this is unpleasant to think about, but not everyone around you will live forever."

Simon looked at Raphael quizzically.

"Unless you want to spend eternity all alone, you should get to know other vampires," Raphael continued, genuine concern showing on his face. "It will help you transition better, plus its good interaction. Also, I can't stand your moping anymore. You were finally starting to actually get better, and now…well, look at yourself."

Simon took a moment to appraise his appearance, not really sure what the problem was. He had showered the day before, he was wearing different clothes, and he even had on clean underwear. Shrugging, Simon looked back at Raphael, who simply shook his head.

"C'mon, you're coming with me tonight." Raphael was issuing a command rather than an invitation.

"Where are we going?" Simon asked suspiciously. As he asked the question, Raphael's attire finally registered. The vampire was clad in tight black jeans, a white button down shirt that was half unbuttoned, and a leather jacket. _Nothing good can come of this._

"Hotel Dumort. Do not give me that look. It'll do you some good," Raphael said as he stood and walked to Simon closet. He pulled fresh jean and a black t-shirt. Before handing the shirt to Simon, Raphael yanked at the collar and caused a four inch rip that would expose Simon's chest. When he looked up and found Simon gaping at him, Raphael simply said, "Trust me."

"Yeah, okay," Simon said. "Whatever you say." As he changed, he was actually a little grateful. This would be just the distraction he needed. Tonight, he was going to put Clary and Maia out of his mind for good. By _any_ means necessary.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** I had a lot of fun getting deeper into vampire Simon's head when I wrote this chapter. I hope you enjoy! Also, I enabled anonymous reviews, which I didn't actually realize were disabled. Let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer: **I am not Cassandra Clare and do not own any of these characters.

In Another Life

"Most of them don't even know, _amigo_," Raphael said, trying with little success to soothe Simon's nerves as they walked to the hotel. Simon grunted, unconvinced.

Raphael talked more on the way, but Simon wasn't really concentrating on the words. He was more than a little preoccupied thinking of their method of entry into the Hotel Dumort. He remembered Clary having said something about vampires not needing the stairs to get in; they just flew. The last time Simon had flown had been with Clary on a vampire motorcycle as a rat. This experience would be quite different. For one thing, Simon wouldn't have a motor. Raphael hadn't given him any instructions or hints as to how the flying thing would work, and Simon was too embarrassed to ask. He hadn't known Raphael for very long, and the last thing he wanted to do was expose a weakness. He had to think about his pride.

Simon was so lost in his own thoughts that he failed to notice when Raphael stopped walking. The vampire let out a sharp whistle to get his attention. Embarrassed, Simon backed up to where Raphael was standing, not wanting to look him in the eye but knowing that he would have to if he wanted to know how to fly up to the top floor. They were standing in front of what looked like any other apartment building in the neighborhood, distinguishable only by a small sign that was easily missed if you didn't already know where it was. Simon cleared his throat and looked at Raphael expectantly. He nodded and turned with a smile to face the building. Raphael crouched, not unlike an animal preparing to pounce on their prey, and pushed off from the ground. Simon watched as the force of Raphael's spring carried him to the roof of the building. He looked over the edge of the roof and gestured for Simon to follow.

_Oh shit_, Simon thought. He copied Raphael's crouch and hoped that there would be enough force behind his jump to carry him all the way, as Raphael's had. The only thing worse than asking how to fly would be epically failing at his first attempt at what seemed to come very easily to others of his kind. With a deep breath, Simon pushed off and sprang into the air. He gasped and watched as layer after layer of brick passed in front of his eyes. Before he could think about what was happening, he cleared the roof, shifted slightly, and landed gently next to Raphael.

"Good job, _amigo._ Not bad for your first time," Raphael smiled at Simon and gestured towards a door in the middle of the roof. "Let's go."

They walked through the door and into a dark stairwell. Raphael jumped to the landing, not bothering to use the steps. Simon was slightly concerned that his clumsiness would still affect him, even though the change had completely corrected his vision. He thought that having _all_ his flaws corrected would be too good to be true. At the bottom of the stairs they entered the main room where the vampires congregated the majority of the time. Simon likened it to the living room of a house: it was the place where most of the social activities of the family took place. There were several couches and chairs around the room in rich, jewel-like colors. They might have been antiques, but that wasn't the kind of thing Simon liked to focus on during his free time. That was a "Mom" sort of thing.

As he walked across the room, Simon could feel over a hundred pairs of eyes following him and felt more than a little out of place. He looked around the room; feeling slightly panicked when he realized Raphael was no longer at beside him. Simon found him in the middle of a group for very attractive female vampires. He didn't know what to do; the last time he had been inside this building was the night they had turned him. The terror of that night came rushing back as he remembered the hungry look in the eyes of the vampires as they closed in on him, preparing to drain him of his life. He also felt certain hostility towards them for having taken what he didn't want to give: his life. The memory also filled him with a longing for what had been. His breath, the beat of his own heart, the feeling of Clary's warm skin on his own. At least he still had the sunlight. He knew every single vampire in the building resented him for that, especially the ones who longed for their forgotten humanity. He needed to get out of that room.

He walked along the wall, heading to the nearest door. Simon found himself in a long hallway filled with rooms on either side. Some doors were open, some were closed, and most had sounds coming from them that suggested to Simon that intimate activities were taking place. He reached a concrete stairwell at the end of the hallway and all but flew down it, trying to get as far away from the crowd of vampires as he could. He finally reached the bottom of the stairs and saw a door that had once been painted a deep red with faded white lettering that read "Lobby". Simon had never been so happy to see a door in his entire life.

He pushed it open a crack and peered into the dark room. A quick scan told him that it was unoccupied. He closed the door behind him, shutting out both the light and the noise from the other parts of the hotel. Simon was relieved to be out of their scrutiny; he just wasn't in the mood to be stared at like some sort of specimen in science class. At least Clary, Maia and Luke had adjusted quickly to his new ability. Clary had stopped making a big deal out of it after about twenty-four hours, which was fine by him. On policy, Simon tried not to draw too much attention to himself, which was another reason that he didn't want to be in the room with all those vampires. Being around them was like being the first kid in school to get braces all over again. Miserable.

His feet made tracks in the thick layer of dust as Simon scuffed across the landing to the banister. He absentmindedly traced a pattern in the dust as he looked over the room. He was at the top of what had, at one time, been an impressive stairway; the kind that would have been in _Gone with the Wind_ or some other girly movie like that. The stairs terminated after six or seven steps. As Simon stared past them to the floor below, he had a flash of the room from a different perspective; one much higher than where he stood now. Simon looked up at the ceiling, but saw nothing other than old fashioned molding.

_Moldy molding_. He chuckled to himself at the lame joke. Another thought hit harder than he would have liked: Clary would have laughed. _So would Maia_. Simon shook his head as though he were trying to get rid of both thoughts. He didn't know how to deal with the conflicting emotions these thoughts brought on. He needed to focus on something else.

Simon leaned out over the rail to take further inventory of the room. As he looked down, the young vampire realized this would a perfect time to test out his new coordinative abilities. No one was around to laugh if he looked stupid, and it wasn't like it would harm him if he landed wrong. He was already dead and his new body came with turbo-healing powers. He had watched it happen to others and himself. The only thing that concerned him was landing on a weak area of the floor and falling through to the lowest level. That would make more noise then he intended and the last thing he wanted was for a more experienced vampire to see him ridiculously testing his abilities. Simon had every intention of keeping the fact that he very much felt like a kid on Christmas morning to himself.

Once he was confident that he was above a sturdier part of the floor, Simon took a deep breath and hoisted himself over the rail. The fall was exhilarating and he landed softly on the floor in a deep-knee-bend-kneel. Amazed, Simon stood on somewhat shaky legs and triumphantly examined the spot where he had landed. _Not a mold spore out of place, _Simon thought confidently. He had to use every ounce of will power not to call Clary and tell her of his feat. She was probably with Jace anyways. Simon surprised himself by emitting a low snarl. He had never thought of vampires growling before; that seemed like something better suited for a werewolf like Luke. Or Maia. As Simon walked around the perimeter of the room, examining what was left of wallpaper and paint, his thought wandered to what Maia would be doing that evening. He would much rather be where she was – wherever that may be – than alone in this old hotel, surrounded by the things that had killed him.

Simon's attention was suddenly and instinctively drawn to the door at the top of the stairs, before any human would have heard an approach. Another growl built in his chest as he realized that his solitude was about to be interrupted. He was across the room and through the nearest door faster than it would have taken a human to snap their fingers. Simon silently jumped down the stairs on the other side of the door and moved to the shadows on the far end of the room. Standing absolutely still, abandoning even the habitual movement of breathing, Simon heard the door from the Lobby open and several vampires leap from the landing just as he had. Every muscle in his body was tense as he listened for their next move, which would determine where he would go as well. With much relief, he heard the group move in the opposite direction of the door he through which he had exited. It was only then that Simon examined not only his surroundings, but his posture. He was in what could only be described as a defensive crouch, ready to spring if threatened. As he consciously relaxed his muscles, Simon couldn't help but wonder at what his reaction would have been had those other vampires entered his room of refuge. Part of him didn't really want to know.

He was in the former laundry room of the hotel. The rooms upstairs were in much better condition and upkeep than the ones he had been in on the main level. Simon figured they did that so anyone looking in on the street or basement level would continue to assume the hotel was abandoned and empty. _Pretty smart._ He walked through the lower level, wandering in and out of rooms until he came to the kitchen. Suddenly, Simon was weary. He jumped on top of a counter and lay on his back, stared at the ceiling and thought about the previous times he had been in this part of the hotel. The first had been when Clary carried him out as a rat. She had explained to him later how they broke into the hotel. He had used the same route when he came after watching Clary and Jace kiss in the Seelie Court. It had been his last act as a human. Thinking of what led him to make that decision and the consequences he was now dealing with caused that knife in his gut to twist once more.

_Enough_. Simon sat up with a new resolve: he had to stop dwelling on what had happened and what would never be between he and Clary. He really thought he had dealt with those feelings, but seeing her with Jace that afternoon had been like tearing the wound open again. And honestly, what he had with Clary was something that Jace would never be able to touch. Simon remembered how Clary had reacted when he tried to explain that the romantic part of their relationship should stop. She had almost come unglued at the thought that he didn't want to be her friend anymore. He knew that he would be unable to continue through life without her, and that she felt the same way about him. This realization brought Simon more comfort than he had ever experienced.

A sound by the door drew Simon's attention. There was a beautiful female vampire watching him. He wondered how long she had been there and was immediately grateful that he hadn't been talking to himself. Had he?

"You're Simon, the new one," she stated.

"Uh, yes. Yes, I am." Simon had never been what one might call suave, and becoming a vampire hadn't helped him in that area one bit. At this moment he was desperately wishing he could channel James Bond, because she was _definitely_ Bond Girl material. She was incredibly beautiful with long dark hair that made her skin look even paler than the other vampires' he had seen. She was wearing a tight red, short sleeved shirt, a black leather miniskirt, black fishnets and knee high boots. Her green eyes seemed to be boring into him. She smiled and began walking toward him.

"I saw you come in and the next thing I knew, you were gone." She pushed her lips into a small pout.

She had _noticed_ him? Simon was absolutely stunned. "Yeah," he began, pausing for a moment to clear his throat and collect his thoughts. "It was too crowded for me. I needed to escape for a while."

"And escape you did." She was standing next to him and he was drawn in by her intoxicating scent. She hopped up onto the counter next to him, so close that their thighs were touching. "I'm not much of a social butterfly myself, so I thought I would come find you. You're a good hider."

"Best in my elementary school class, three years running." Simon thought his eyes would bug out of his head when she laughed at his lame joke. She tossed her hair back and he was mesmerized by her neck. He realized she saw him staring at her and was embarrassed.

"It's ok," she said. "I like you looking."

Simon was completely and utterly speechless.

She laughed again. "You seem pretty tense, Simon. I think I should help you relax."

He swallowed even though his throat was completely dry. "What did you have in mind?" Simon _really_ wanted to find out. He never thought he would be the kind of guy to randomly make out with, must less hook up with, a girl he didn't know. Of course, he wasn't a typical guy anymore. And hadn't he just vowed to stop dwelling on the past? Obviously, a large part of that was to move forward. No time like the present.

"Oh, I've got something that'll make you feel good," she said, leaning closer to him, her hand resting on his thigh. Before he could see it coming, her lips were on his. She gave his lower lip a gentle tug with her teeth. "Want a taste?"

Simon couldn't do anything except nod.

She brought her right arm up to her mouth and bit down on her wrist, her eyes never leaving his. When she took her arm from her mouth, he could see that her fangs had left two punctures. She flexed her muscle and blood began to ooze from the wound. The scent hit Simon like a ton of bricks. Instinct took over as he grabbed her arm and brought it to his own mouth. As he looked into her eyes, he licked a small amount of blood. She made a sound of pleasure low in her throat and Simon went into a tailspin. It was, he imagined, what a first hit of cocaine would be like; he'd had a small taste of ecstasy and wanted more. Much more.

Simon groaned as he placed his lips on her wrist and began to suck the blood from her marks. The sound that came from her lips as she watched him take her blood was the most arousing noise he'd ever heard. The effect of drinking another vampire's blood was dizzying. He felt the room begin to spin and all the hurt and frustration of the past month melted away. As she leaned in and ran the tip of her tongue from the base of him neck to his ear, his last coherent thought was _No time like the present_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Note: **Thanks to Ande for giving this a once over! Also, mega congrats to MarcyJ and Ali for getting first place in the City of Glass ARC Contest with the Lightwood Llama song!! If you haven't seen it, go to youtube _right now_ and watch! You can read this after!!

Hook Me Up

Simon groaned as his mind crept toward consciousness, his body kicking and screaming all the way. He stretched his arms above his head and arched his back. His pillow was MIA and he rolled onto his left side in an effort to locate it. Simon's eyes opened immediately at the surprising sensation of weightlessness followed by an image of the ground rushing to meet his face. Without having to think about it, his arms and legs shot out to brace his fall. He landed on the tiled floor in a perfect crouch.

"Whoa," Simon's whisper echoed in the empty room. He was still in the kitchen of the Hotel Dumort and his sexy companion was gone. That wasn't a surprise since there were beams of sunlight filtering through the cloudy windows.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Simon stood and turned in a slow circle, trying to piece together fragments of memories from events of the night before. His eyes landed on a smear of blood marking where he and his lady friend had been sitting the night before. Images and sensations washed over him. Her hand on his thigh, creeping higher. The scent of her blood, the taste of it on his tongue. Hands roaming over sweat slicked bodies. Hot, panting breath.

Simon shook his head. It was stuffy in the kitchen and he needed fresh air. Sunlight. As he didn't want to walk through the upper stories full of sleeping vampires, he made his way through the basement maze, climbed out the window and jumped up through the open drainage grate onto the alley street. Stretching his arms overhead, Simon took a deep breath and promptly choked. He glanced behind him and saw he was standing in front of a very full dumpster. _I just can't win_. Shaking his head, Simon walked out of the alley and down the street toward Luke's house. He wanted to see Clary.

Using his rather new stealth ability, Simon crept through the backyard and hoped that the back door wouldn't squeak when he opened it. He braced for the harsh noise and the door did not disappoint. Simon was grateful that Maia wasn't in the house, as the noise would have hurt her sensitive ears. Also, after yesterday, he wasn't sure he was ready to face her. His relief was short lived, however, as she flew into his arms the moment he entered the kitchen.

"Oh my gosh, Simon," Maia said breathlessly. "Where have you been? I looked everywhere for you last night!"

Simon hadn't anticipated that Maia would be so worried about him. Guilt clenched his heart as he held her in his arms. There was something else, too, something he hadn't felt in a long time: home.

_What have I done?_

He swallowed around the lump in his throat and withdrew slightly from Maia, but kept his hands on her shoulders. He was shocked at the circles under her eyes, which revealed how little she had slept the night before. There was something else on her face, too. Hurt. _She knew_. The realization that Maia could smell the other vampire on him felt like a punch in the gut.

"Maia," he began, rubbing his hands lightly on her arms while trying to pull her close to him again. "Look, I can explain. I went with Raphael to the Hotel…"

Maia shoved him away with more force than he had anticipated. Simon staggered back and slammed into the wall. Had he needed to breathe, it would have knocked the wind out of him. As it was, he just started dumbly at Maia, not knowing what to say.

"You don't owe me an explanation, Simon." Maia said, her voice cracking and tears pooling in her brown eyes. "I don't have a claim on you. I just thought – apparently I was wrong."

Simon was crushed as he watched Maia run from the room, tears spilling over and streaming down her face. He hated it when they cried. There was nothing more heart breaking than a girl with red eyes and a puffy nose, especially when you caused it to happen. With a sigh, Simon rubbed his chest and headed toward the stairs. He needed to talk to Clary more than ever.

Luke was snoring away in his bed as Simon walked carefully down the hall towards the office where he knew Clary would be sleeping. The same pull out bed where he had slept with her, at one point. _Please let her be alone_. He opened the door a couple inches and peered through the crack. The breath he didn't realize he'd been holding came out in a quiet _whoosh_ of relief when he saw only Clary. She was lying on her side in the middle of the mattress, with her back to the door and an arm across her face, shielding her eyes from the sun. Simon was mildly surprised that he didn't feel the clench in his stomach or the pang in his chest that he'd felt downstairs with Maia. This was odd, as those pangs of longing had always been reserved for Clary alone. The tides were turning and Simon had no idea what to do about it.

He walked over and gave the foot of the bed a light kick. Clary didn't stir. Simon put more force into the second kick. Still nothing. This time he lifted the bed a couple inches from the ground and let it drop. She gave a little grunt but no indication that she was waking up. Sighing, Simon sat on the edge of the bed and began bouncing up and down, shaking the bed rather violently. Clary's groans grew louder with every bounce until she finally rolled and slapped Simon hard on the back.

"For the sake of all things holy, Simon, cut it out!" Clary whined as she squinted at the alarm clock, and then gasped as she realized what she had just said. Eyes wide, she looked over her shoulder at Simon. He stared back at her with equally wide eyes. They cracked at the exact same moment and burst into laughter.

"Shhhh," Clary sputtered. "You'll wake up Luke! I," _gasp_ "really don't want him to be grumpy."

Simon flopped helplessly on the bed next to her, gripping his sides. Clary smacked him in the face with a pillow and left it there. She covered her own face with the other one until they had both regained control.

"Oh, man!" Clary was still out of breath as she grinned at Simon. "Why was that so funny?"

"I have no idea," he panted. "I think we just hit a wall of some sort. Felt good, though, didn't it?"

"Yeah," she agreed and laced her fingers through Simon's. "Yeah, it felt great."

She scooted closer to Simon on the bed and lifted his arm so he could wrap it around her. They lay together, Clary's head on Simon's chest, staring at random patterns of sun on the ceiling and enjoying the moment. For the first time in at least two months, things felt normal. They were just Simon and Clary, inseparable best friends as they had always been. Simon tilted his head and kissed Clary on the forehead. It was his way of letting her know he was glad she was still there for him, despite all the changes of late. Clary returned the gesture with a tight squeeze.

"So, why is it that you woke me up at," Clary sat up slightly to read the clock and flopped back down with a grunt, "Seven am?!"

"I think I fucked up," Simon stated matter-of-factly.

Clary gave him her full attention. "Go on."

"Raphael called me last night, about going to the Hotel Dumort with him," Simon explained. "He said something about needing to interact with other vampires. I know he's right, but the last thing I wanted to do was go back to that place, you know? I kept remembering how I felt that night I was turned. How they had surrounded and cornered me."

Clary made a small noise of distress and Simon patted her hand that was still on his chest. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't talk about that around you."

"No, its okay," she protested. "You need to talk about it. I'm here. Tell me."

Simon smiled at her and shook his head. "You don't need to know those details. Let's just leave it with I wasn't exactly comfortable going back there. It was really overwhelming, actually. Vampires are very, uh, sexual creatures."

"Are they now," Clary grinned meaningfully at Simon. He nodded and laughed, trying to think of a delicate way to explain the previous night and decided to just spit it all out.

"There were so many of them upstairs that I needed to get away. I went downstairs to the basement. Do you remember that kitchen down there? I was sitting on the counter when she came in." Clary raised her eyebrows and Simon nodded. "Yeah, this is where it gets interesting. I, um, don't really remember a lot of the details. She bit her wrist and offered it to me. It was what I imagined drinking an entire fifth of vodka and then smoking a crap ton of weed would be like. When I woke up, she was gone. I came straight here and Maia was waiting in the kitchen."

"Yeah, she was looking for you last night," Clary explained. "Something happened yesterday afternoon with Bat; I guess something she wasn't happy about."

"Well, she found me." Simon sighed. "She smelled the other vampire and she ran out. She was so upset."

Saying the words aloud brought reality crashing down onto Simon full force. He knew that he would see the look on Maia's face every time he closed his eyes. What bothered him the most was that he had misread the interaction between her and Bat yesterday and abandoned a friend when she needed him. They had a connection he hadn't been able to find with anyone else, especially with the other vampires. He worried now that it was lost forever.

"I need to find her," Simon's voice slurred as exhaustion washed over him. He continued murmuring as he drifted off to sleep. Clary slipped out of the bed carefully so she didn't wake him. She knew he needed the rest, especially after last night. Before leaving the room, Clary turned and gazed at her friend, looking peaceful for the first time in several weeks. She smiled and closed the door to go downstairs to make coffee, knowing that everything would sort itself out eventually.


End file.
